The National Science and Technology Forum (NSTF) is calling for nominations for the 28th NSTF-South32 Awards. These prestigious awards focus on science, engineering and technology (SET) and innovation in South Africa (SA).
The theme for 2026 is ‘Healthy Aging’ in recognition of the Decade of Healthy Aging as proclaimed by the United Nations (UN). The aims are to change the attitudes of society towards aging, including creating age-friendly environments, delivering integrated and person-centred health care, and access to long-term care for those who need it.
2026 Special Annual Theme Award
In 2026, the NSTF will recognise outstanding contributions to SET and innovation towards healthy aging, that is – research that helps us understand aging better in all its facets, and that holds the promise of improving the lives of older people, their families and communities, particularly in SA with its unique challenges, and homegrown technological innovations that will assist the elderly. Read more about the Special Annual Theme Award: Healthy Aging.
Contributions recognised
Register nominations for individuals, teams, partnerships and organisations for an outstanding contribution to SET and innovation in SA.
The contributions recognised are in the following broad areas:
- Scientific research
- Technological innovation
- Management and related activities
- Capacity building in engineering research
- Water management solutions
- Clinician-scientists
- Environmental sustainability and biodiversity conservation
- Science diplomacy
- Agricultural research and solutions
- Research software NEW in 2026
- Data for research
- Communication, outreach and creating awareness
- Non-governmental organisation (NGO) activities, including technology transfer, education and/or training activities
- Healthy aging through sustainable science NEW in 2026.
Sponsorship
South32 is the event’s co-branding sponsor for the past 11 years, but there are also other awards and sponsorships. In particular, the 2026 event will see the launch of a new category – Research Software Awards – thanks to the South African Centre for Digital Language Resources (SADiLaR). Two awards within this category will recognise outstanding SET and innovation contributions through research software in any scientific field, and human language technologies.
Another new award introduced this year (2025) is the NSTF – Agricultural Research Council (ARC) Award for sustainable agricultural management, knowledge generation and solutions.
Generous prizes are being sponsored by a variety of organisations.
Nomination process
This is a two-stage nomination process:
Stage 1 – Register a nomination by Thursday 29 January 2026 and wait for the NSTF Office to respond with the official category nomination form/s, to be completed by Thursday 5 March 2026 (Stage 2). The nominee must agree to participate.
Complete and submit the online registration form. The nominee will receive an email notification from awards@nstf.org.za confirming receipt of the registration of their contact details. Please alert the NSTF Office at awards@nstf.org.za should the nominee not receive this notification and the relevant nomination form/s (the subject line says: ‘Subscription Confirmation’).
Stage 2 – Submit completed nomination documents by Thursday 5 March 2026
Please note that planning and time are required to complete the nomination documents.
Ensure that the fully completed nomination form/s that you received from the NSTF office are emailed to the NSTF before the final deadline and that you receive a confirmation from the NSTF Office.
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